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United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2026

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2024
U.S. Senate, New Mexico
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 3, 2026
Primary: June 2, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in New Mexico

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
U.S. Senate, New Mexico
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd
New Mexico elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

Voters in New Mexico will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation is February 3, 2026. Candidates who do not receive the party designation must file by March 10, 2026. The election will fill the Class II Senate seat held by Ben Ray Luján (D), who first took office in 2021. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Toby Smith is running in the general election for U.S. Senate New Mexico on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Toby Smith (Jewish/Christian National Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Incumbent Ben Ray Luján is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 2, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Benjamin Luna is running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Benjamin Luna
Benjamin Luna

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in New Mexico

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Ben Ray Luján Democratic Party $5,572,841 $2,495,788 $3,156,377 As of September 30, 2025
Benjamin Luna Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Toby Smith Jewish/Christian National Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in New Mexico, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/23/202512/16/202512/9/202512/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in New Mexico in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in New Mexico, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
New Mexico U.S. Senate Democratic 2% of votes cast for all of the party's gubernatorial candidates in the last primary N/A TBD Source
New Mexico U.S. Senate Libertarian 2% of votes cast for all of the party's gubernatorial candidates in the last primary N/A TBD Source
New Mexico U.S. Senate Republican 2% of votes cast for all of the party's gubernatorial candidates in the last primary N/A TBD Source
New Mexico U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 2% of all votes cast for governor in the last election N/A TBD Source


Election history

The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2018.

2024

See also: United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2024

General election
General election for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Incumbent Martin Heinrich defeated Nella Domenici in the general election for U.S. Senate New Mexico on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Martin Heinrich
Martin Heinrich (D)
 
55.1
 
497,333
Image of Nella Domenici
Nella Domenici (R)
 
44.9
 
405,978

Total votes: 903,311
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Incumbent Martin Heinrich advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Martin Heinrich
Martin Heinrich
 
100.0
 
122,961

Total votes: 122,961
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Nella Domenici advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Nella Domenici
Nella Domenici
 
100.0
 
79,809

Total votes: 79,809
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

General election

General election for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Ben Ray Luján defeated Mark Ronchetti and Bob Walsh in the general election for U.S. Senate New Mexico on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ben Ray Luján
Ben Ray Luján (D)
 
51.7
 
474,483
Image of Mark Ronchetti
Mark Ronchetti (R) Candidate Connection
 
45.6
 
418,483
Image of Bob Walsh
Bob Walsh (L)
 
2.6
 
24,271

Total votes: 917,237
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Ben Ray Luján advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ben Ray Luján
Ben Ray Luján
 
100.0
 
225,082

Total votes: 225,082
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Mark Ronchetti defeated Elisa Martinez and Gavin Clarkson in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Ronchetti
Mark Ronchetti Candidate Connection
 
56.5
 
89,216
Image of Elisa Martinez
Elisa Martinez
 
26.1
 
41,240
Image of Gavin Clarkson
Gavin Clarkson
 
17.4
 
27,471

Total votes: 157,927
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Bob Walsh advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate New Mexico on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bob Walsh
Bob Walsh
 
100.0
 
1,454

Total votes: 1,454
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate New Mexico

Incumbent Martin Heinrich defeated Mick Rich and Gary Johnson in the general election for U.S. Senate New Mexico on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Martin Heinrich
Martin Heinrich (D)
 
54.1
 
376,998
Image of Mick Rich
Mick Rich (R)
 
30.5
 
212,813
Image of Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson (L)
 
15.4
 
107,201

Total votes: 697,012
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates



Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in New Mexico and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for New Mexico, 2026
District Incumbent PVI
New Mexico's 1st Melanie Ann Stansbury D+7
New Mexico's 2nd Gabriel Vasquez EVEN
New Mexico's 3rd Teresa Leger Fernandez D+3

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, New Mexico
District Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
New Mexico's 1st 55.0% 42.0%
New Mexico's 2nd 48.0% 50.0%
New Mexico's 3rd 52.0% 46.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 65.4% of New Mexicans lived in one of the state's 13 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 33.8% lived in one of 19 Solid Republican counties. Overall, New Mexico was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in New Mexico following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

New Mexico presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 17 Democratic wins
  • 12 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party N/A N/A N/A D D R R R D D D D D R R D D R R R R R R D D D R D D D D D

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from New Mexico

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in New Mexico.

U.S. Senate election results in New Mexico
Race Winner Runner up
2024 55.1%Democratic Party 44.9%Republican Party
2020 51.7%Democratic Party 45.6%Republican Party
2018 54.1%Democratic Party 30.5%Republican Party
2014 55.6%Democratic Party 44.4%Republican Party
2012 51.0%Democratic Party 45.3%Republican Party
Average 53.5 42.1

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of New Mexico

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in New Mexico.

Gubernatorial election results in New Mexico
Race Winner Runner up
2022 52.0%Democratic Party 45.6%Republican Party
2018 57.2%Democratic Party 42.8%Republican Party
2014 52.4%Democratic Party 47.4%Republican Party
2010 53.3%Republican Party 46.6%Democratic Party
2006 68.8%Democratic Party 31.2%Republican Party
Average 56.7 42.7
See also: Party control of New Mexico state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of New Mexico's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New Mexico
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 3 5
Republican 0 0 0
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 3 5

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in New Mexico's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in New Mexico, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Michelle Lujan Grisham
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Howie Morales
Secretary of State Democratic Party Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Attorney General Democratic Party Raul Torrez

State legislature

New Mexico State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 26
     Republican Party 15
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 42

New Mexico House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 44
     Republican Party 26
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 70

Trifecta control

New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2025
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D

The table below details demographic data in New Mexico and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for New Mexico
New Mexico United States
Population 2,117,522 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 121,312 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 53.6% 63.4%
Black/African American 2.1% 12.4%
Asian 1.7% 5.8%
Native American 9.5% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.4%
Other (single race) 12% 6.6%
Multiple 20.9% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 48.2% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 87.7% 89.4%
College graduation rate 30.2% 35%
Income
Median household income $62,125 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 18.1% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

New Mexico 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
Democratic Party (5)